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Thanks, Martin. I hope that Trepol Bay is progressing well. Alas, I'm running out of days devoted just to railway modelling. My target is to complete building the loco. shed, at least. (The roof will be removeable as I'd like to fit, later, the supporting wooden beams together with LED lighting.) I have, though, done a great deal of painting of items so have quite a few other kits ready to construct with all the parts already painted. I have also done some other small tasks like painting wagons, and glueing figures and wagon loads on clear plastic bases.

After my experience modifying the loco. shed kits I really will make cardboard mockups of the scratchbuild station buildings, first, as I can see how that will save a LOT of time and avoid mistakes when building the final plasticard version!

I won't be able to do the red-brown spraypainting for a couple of weeks so no more progress on the two remaining ex-LNER Wadebridge brake vans and I won't be trying painting matt black wagon data panels until after that.

Tracklaying is postponed until the scenic sections (insulating board squares have been bought, cut and laid in place as the track will be laid on the lowest level one).

The two loco shed walls now painted in identical washes of dark grey paint (with some deliberate variation on the upper wall -- one end is closer to the sea so I imagine it will be slightly more faded):

The back of the workshop (which will be almost covered by ivy) attached by one side wall to the back (original exterior stone wall) of the loco shed:

Some of the pieces laid out for the lean-to office plus some of the Ratio chimneys as both the workshop and the office will have coal (of course) fires:

Close-up of the pieces for the office (the white plasticard will be scored as stone edging, then painted):

An example of why a cardboard mock-up is a good idea! Retro-fitting the door from the loco shed to the office with a new window sill for the now smaller window (and the obligatory filler -- before sanding, after it dries):

Now, that spare set of painted shed doors will come in useful for the rear doors for the workshop -- there should be a fire exit and means of carrying in equipment from outside (again, retro-fitting, I'm afraid!):

I should have listened more to Sid the Surveyor (a key member of the Cant Castle Estate management team and a sharp dresser in the best 1960s Carnaby Street style!):

Not much achieved, today. I managed to paint all the new interior walls with a matt white wash over the gloss cream, did a bit more work on the shed roof and searched for suitable 1960s pictures to hang on the office and workshop walls! I also did some work on the work benches to go around the workshop walls.

More pictures should follow, tomorrow, my last day of railway modelling for a short while.

Does anyone know, approximately, the dimensions of a standard BR poster?

I have spoken to my landlord and we'll arrange, in about 10 days (as I'm taking a short break) in Prague, to go to buy the insulation boards to cut and fix onto the baseboard for Cant Cove. Once the first layer is down I can begin tracklaying!

I have a detailed, scale trackplan that I've worked on, on and off, for half a year so once I have the first layer of insulation board to pin the track down on the baseboard tracklaying should be quite quick. I have more track than I should need and all the points. It's also a quite simple trackplan based on a real-life North Cornish LSWR prototype (with three minor additions: a headshunt with a loco. shed line off it and a short branchline) so it should work fine and not need major alterations. I will also have the loco. shed ready so can use it to ensure the loco. shed siding is the correct length and correctly positioned for it to fit properly. I already have the overbridge sides (for carrying the former mineral tramway over the railway) so can ensure that this sole overbridge is fitted (at a slant) to clear the trains on the tracks below. I also have a choice of bridges (with supporting piers) to carry the track over the inlet to Cant Cove itself. So, all the key scenic elements which need to be ready for the tracklaying are to hand. I also have the components (platform sides) for building the curved station platforms once the two tracks are laid. Plus, I have wired rail joiners (no soldering) and tackpins. All points will be manually operated, to begin with (with provision for burying point motors, in future, in the insulation board). So, yes, as soon as that! 8-) The only caveat is the infamous 'hex frog juicer' still needs to be bought and fitted for the three-way point in the goods yard.

I've learnt, the hard way, that the more thought and preplanning, the less extra work will be required. I do not want to have to rip up track or alter / damage scenic elements (built around it) just because I'm in a rush to get track down and run trains on it. I'm sure I will still make mistakes but they won't be from rushing things!

I'm sure John was only joking. Actually I admire your patience and thoroughness. I wish I was the same. In my enthusiasm I have already deferred phase 2 of my original plan to start on phase 5 - the colliery. I really must learn to be a bit more disciplined!

Thanks, Bob, I'm sure John was. That is the problem with text messages. When i was younger I was far more impulsive. Kitbashing the loco. shed has reminded me, again, of the importance of preplanning and trial construction! (I forgot to add the interior door from the loco. shed to the foreman's office, I did not think about an exterior door to the workshop large enough for equipment to pass through and to provide a fire exit.) I solved the problem of the lack of staff 'facilities' by designating an already constructed and painted wooden hut to provide them behind the workshop!

All the scratchbuilt buildings will have cardboard mockups made, first!

On my first N Gauge layout, I laid the surface for my goods yard BEFORE I had all the points installed (as a poor schoolboy, I could not buy everything at once and was impatient), lifting the goods yard surface and track to fit the missing point resulted in damage to the track and existing point . . . Trains ran but the point did NOT look good (the point rails were held in place by track pins!).

A selection of (mainly) 1960s pictures, railway posters and official notices for brightening up the loco. shed interior! Remember this is the 1960s and an all-male adult environment! . . . Printed on normal (R/H) and photographic (L/H) paper.

Cant Cove Loco Shed (Day 7 -- last day for a short while!) (10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th pictures)

Upper roof supports; need gluing and touch-up painting:

Work benches and cupboard: first coat of thinned gloss leather paint, after second (also thinned) coat will be brushed with thinned matt mid-brown to age them and remove most of the gloss sheen:

Freshly overhauled at Penmayne depot and repainted at Cant Cove loco. shed, Castle Brewery beer cask wagon for Port Perran and Trepol Bay deliveries / collection of empties (the load is removable as the barrels are glued to a piece of transparent plastic):

Last picture (for now), taken in artificial light and before 'dusting' the roof sections showing completed upper roof supports with roof sections alongside -- these had to be trimmed by a couple of mm at one end to reduce what would have been excessive overhang:

I hope these detailed descriptions and photos have been useful / inspiring to someone?

The loco. shed is close to being finished and, so far, I'm pretty happy with it. The basic Ratio shed kit is very similar to the (short) loco. shed which was at Bude which is a bonus!